It was just a short time ago that an appeals court in Florida ruled that the Sunshine clause in the state Constitution did not require councils and commissions of counties and municipalities to take public comment during meetings that were required to be open to the public.

The Legislature stepped in and in 2013 told local governing bodies they had to take public comment and to formulate a policy to address the issue.

True journalists — those who go into the profession with no agendas or selfish motives — hold one thing dear to their hearts–the sanctity of news.
That means 1) reporting accurately on events that transpired; and 2) presenting both sides of an issue in an effort to better inform the readership.
The most important aspect of these two points is keeping personal feelings and opinions out of the news. Opinions only belong in one place – the editorial page, under a header that reads, “Opinion.”

In the late 50s, I was living in the Ocala national Forest in an area between the Oklawaha and the St. Johns River. My great-grandfather, Anderson Roberts, homesteaded there when Florida was still a territory. I was working cattle as a day worker, buying and selling a few cows and anything else to make a buck. A couple of the local cowmen, Ray Martin and Billy Holly, told me about a big steer that Mrs. Reynolds wanted to sell.

J. K. of Inglis writes: “I’ve got a question for you… you’ve written about Florida’s Concealed Weapons permit the last two months…what about if I have a Concealed Weapon Permit and I drive to California to see my daughter. Can I get in trouble if I carry my gun on me? I can do that, can’t I?”

A look at history shows us that our energy sources have never remained static, with renewables such as wind and solar widespread several times in the past millennia, only to be displaced by a glut of cheap fuel.

Some sources become obsolete as their time has passed; others are taken over by their competitors as we are seeing with oil and coal.

The U.S. stopped the direct use of coal and oil for transportation and buildings in the 1920s and 1960s, respectively.

By Doug Heinlen
Everything changes as it accumulates more birthdays—including vital programs like Medicare.
Medicare turns 46 on July 30, and oh, how it has changed throughout the years.
One landmark event for Medicare, as for most elements of U.S. health care, was the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding most aspects of the new national health-care law. As implementation of the new law proceeds, what does the future hold for Medicare?

Of all the recorded hurricanes to hit the United States since 1851, 36-percent of them have made landfall in Florida. However, the state did have 18 hurricane seasons pass without a known storm impacting the state.
Although hurricane season officially opens on June 1 of each year, the month of highest activity has historically been September, followed by October and then August. Weather officials began using female names to identify hurricanes in 1953 and followed with males names in 1979. The Saffir-Simpson scale for measuring hurricane strength was created in 1975.

By Toni C. CollinsLevy County Historian
In April of 1929, a group called the Patrons of Williston Grammar School contacted Florida Gov. Doyle E. Carlton to lodge a complaint against the Levy County School Board. At issue was the closing of the grammar school two months early, while the high school continued classes for the full eight-month term.